Democrats feel better about the new Congress and its leaders

One in two Americans approve of Congress canceling the national emergency declaration

America’s opinion of Congress seems to have improved lately – but that’s mostly the result of Democrats feeling more positive since their party took control of the House of Representatives. Although Congress overall still gets a negative evaluation from all political groups, one in four Democrats now say they approve of how Congress is handling its job – the highest percentage in the entire Trump Administration.

Congressional assessment from Democrats is higher than that from Republicans, something that had never been the case when the GOP controlled both houses in the first two years of the Trump Administration. That doesn’t necessarily mean Americans believe Congress is getting a lot done. 38% say it’s getting less accomplished than usual . But that figure is lower than it has been. At the beginning of the year, nearly half felt Congress accomplished less than usual.

The House has certainly been taking actions: issuing subpoenas to Trump campaign and Administration officials, hearing testimony from the President’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, and voting its disapproval of the President’s executive order to reallocate government expenditures in order to build a wall at the Southern US border with Mexico. That last action gets overwhelming approval from Democrats and support from independents as well. One in five Republicans also approve of rejecting the President’s executive order.

Responses to this question are almost the mirror image of the public’s overall assessment of the President’s executive order: 36% approve of the President’s declaration of an emergency, 52% disapprove.

Congressional Democrats seem more popular with their base than Congressional Republicans are with theirs, perhaps because they are now in control of one House after eight years of being shut out of control in both houses. 84% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of their party in Congress, while only 64% of Republicans are favorable to GOP Republicans. And the Democratic leadership team of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are better liked by Democrats today than are either House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell among Republicans.

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